On February 28, 1854, 30 anti-slavery opponents of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which would repeal the 1820 Missouri Compromise, met in Ripon, Wisconsin and called for the creation of the Republican Party.

Guest Editorials: Why I’m Supporting [insert name here]

For those of us who follow politics closely, it’s easy to get caught up in the horserace and punditry. But I urge all Republicans to step back and remember why we have primary elections in the first place: to ensure we select the most prepared, most proven and most electable leader to represent our Party at the top of the ticket in November.

John Kasich, the conservative governor of Ohio, is that Republican candidate and he deserves the opportunity to prove himself in our political version of March Madness.

Poll after poll shows John Kasich is the Republican best positioned to defeat Hillary Clinton in November. He’s up by 11 points nationally and 17 points in the must-win swing state of Ohio. In the fight for the Republican nomination, he’s within a few points of Trump and will win his home state on March 15. Marco Rubio, on the other hand, is losing to Trump in Florida by 16 points and is tied with Hillary in the Sunshine State.

So rather than rushing to crown someone as our GOP nominee before they’ve even proven they can win a single state, we should let our democracy run its course and complete our bracket as the voters have their say.

John Kasich enters March as an underdog and that’s okay. He’s been an underdog his entire life. I’m confident the voters will ultimately put their trust in the only Republican candidate with a proven, conservative record and John Kasich will be the leader representing us at the top of the ticket in November.

I grew up reading National Review magazine and its founder William F. Buckley, Jr. He, along with my father, helped instill in me the conservative principles that shape my approach to politics. One of Buckley’s famous sayings was that conservatives in primary elections should “support the most conservative candidate who is electable.” In this GOP field that once numbered seventeen accomplished individuals, exactly who is this most conservative candidate who is electable?

As I examined the field, I decided Florida Senator Marco Rubio best meets the Buckley test. Pick your favorite conservative group and you will see Rubio consistently ranking as one of the Senate’s most conservative members. During his time in the U.S. Senate, Rubio introduced important conservative legislation; including legislation dealing a serious blow to Obamacare. Rubio didn’t just talk about fighting this ineffective law; he actually did something about it.

As we think about who is the “most conservative candidate who is electable,” also consider this: the Democratic candidate for President has won the state of Florida four of the last five Presidential elections. For Republicans to win the Presidency, we need a candidate who can win swing states like Florida. There is no doubt Marco Rubio can win his home state and other swing states crucial to winning the November general election. Nominating a Republican who would struggle to win the general election could mean Hillary Clinton appointing as many as three Justices to the Supreme Court. It is crucial for Republicans to win this election for many reasons, not the least of which is preventing a liberal Supreme Court majority.

Marco Rubio is a mainstream conservative who can unite the Republican Party and the people of United States. Rubio will never ask you to be angry at one group of Americans so that he can score political points. With so much anger and divisiveness in our politics today, we need a leader who not only understand why people are frustrated, but will to turn that frustration into a positive plan of action to get things done. Marco Rubio has provided this type of leadership his entire career.

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